The Secrets in the Blood Extras
by Moonfreckle
Summary: This is not a story, but a collection of accompanying pieces for the story The Secrets In The Blood. Do not read on its own!
1. Censored Chapter 10

**Cencored Chapter 10: Of Mice and Men**

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 **Content warnings:** This is the censored version of chapter 10, free of actual descriptions of animal cruelty. The scene necessarily still contains references to the medical experiments on the mice, but I do not really describe them. I promise you won't miss any character development or dialogue if you read this instead of the original. Shout-out to my sister for making sure this censored chapter happened (and sorry for making you read the original.)

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* * *

As the weeks passed, a strange sort of normality returned to the rhythm of the days. Vampires still came to buy blood, Therese still required her regular deliveries and he still went to her for a blood fix every month. On the surface nothing seemed different. But _everything_ was different.

Vandal had never felt this good. Or if he had, he could no longer remember it. It had never occurred to him that Therese's influence over him had reached beyond his adoration for her. He had simply been incapable of recognizing her blood in the whispers in his head when they did not speak of _her_. He had never been _normal_ , but before her he had been…stable, in control. Now he felt like that again. Like there were no voices in his head other than his own. Nothing or no one to tell him what to feel or what to do except for him. He hated what he hated and he did what he wanted to do.

He did not know what he wanted with Anna though. He brought her Therese's blood and she gave him her vitae. Sometimes she told him about her experiments with it and she was eager to hear anything he had to say about it. About once a week she went home with him and had sex with him and then left for her own place without a care in the world. Very rarely he went over to hers and then _he_ left afterwards, before she had the chance to even hint at him having to leave. When he thought about it there really wasn't anything he would change about that, but it still felt _strange_. By now he thought more about Anna than Therese. It was like she had replaced her in his head. Only…this was different. He didn't _need_ Anna. He wanted her.

The more he thought about her, the more curious he got to see her at work. She never wanted to let him into her lab when she worked and whenever he asked about her work she tried not to answer, but he could tell she really wanted to talk about it. She was proud of her work and it clearly frustrated her not to be able to share it with anyone. Even so, it was not easy to make her talk about it. He had to pick his moments carefully, waiting for her to let her guard down.

.

"How did your skin regrowth tests go?" Vandal asked nonchalantly.

He and Anna were sitting in the otherwise empty break room. It was around three in the morning and it was unusually quiet at the clinic. Anna glanced at Vandal and he saw she was pleased that he remembered exactly what she was working on. It had been a slow night at the blood bank, Vandal was bored and he had made up his mind that he'd try to convince Anna to show him her work tonight.

It wasn't just that he was curious about her research, he wanted to see her _work_. By now he was fairly familiar with Anna's different sides. She turned the various facets of her personality on and off with no effort at all. But behind each of them there was a little of that gorgeous darkness, smouldering in the deep. It was a part of her that she kept hidden, but it was not always as far away. It had almost escaped that night he made her talk about her past and he had been looking for it in her eyes ever since. When she was talking to her colleagues, making small talk or discussing work, it was hardly noticeable. When she was in her cool, professional persona it was equally far away. But sometimes when he coaxed her to talk about her past again, or teased her about her experiments, it came bubbling to the surface. And when she was screaming with pleasure in his bed it seemed almost ready to take her over completely. Vandal wanted to see more of _that_ , and he suspected that seeing her at work would give him the opportunity.

"So?" he prompted. "Don't hold out on me, princess."

"It went well enough," she replied modestly.

"Yeah?" he hummed.

"Yes," she said, excitement sneaking into her voice. "The vitae completely restored them, and so quickly too." Her eyes were starting to gleam. "People think of injuries to the skin as shallow and easily healed, but once the wound covers a big enough area it starts to cost the body tremendous energy to repair it. Almost instantaneous regenerating of the skin is _incredible_." Suddenly she realized what she was doing and abruptly shut her mouth.

Vandal grinned. "Come on, princess," he coaxed. "You're _aching_ to show me. Why don't you?"

Anna gave him a strange look. "No…" she said slowly.

"Come on," Vandal insisted. "I'll keep my hands to myself." He grinned at her. "I'll keep them off you _and_ your work."

She looked at him and he could almost feel her mind wavering.

"Well," she suddenly said. "Why not? You want to see, come up and see."

Vandal made an effort to hide his triumphant smirk. "Lead the way then," he said, getting to his feet.

"Now?" Anna asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No time like the present," he smiled. Like he was going to giver het time to change her mind. No, no. He wanted to see Anna playing with in her lab and he wanted to see it _now_.

"I'm working on three groups at the moment," Anna said, unlocking the door of her lab. "Skin, muscle tissue and organ damage."

She locked the door behind them and Vandal inhaled the smell of wounds and disinfectant. Three cages, divided into small compartments, stood a little apart on the far counter against the wall. They were filled with mice.

"Skin, muscle, organs," Anna pointed to the different cages, putting on her lab coat. "Here," she held out a spare coat to Vandal.

He put it on and walked over to the counter to study the mice. He stared at them in quiet fascination. The dumb creatures did not even shy away from him. They all had different kinds of injuries. Vandal inspected them with the critical eye of a lover of the art of bodily harm.

"Who gave them the injuries?" he asked, deeply fascinated.

"I did, of course," Anna replied matter-of-factly, putting on her gloves.

Of course she did. Vandal did not really know why he had asked. Anna would never let anyone else near her research. It was just that he couldn't see her doing it. His imagination was failing him and he wanted to see what kind of cruelty she was capable of so badly it _ached_. Vandal swallowed heavily and looked away.

Anna was talking again. Something about having to make sure a subject had enough nutrients to actually sustain the healing properties of the vitae. She moved through her lab deliberately and gracefully. This was truly her domain, she was completely at home here. Vandal watched her intently.

"Watch this," she said, sitting down at the counter and he did. He watched in rapt fascination as she selected a heavily injured mouse and gave it a very small dose of vitae. It worked even faster than he had expected. The mouse gained strength and health before their very eyes, until it's white coat was smooth and healthy again its skin completely free of any blemish. With a triumphant smile Anna put the mouse back into its pen and it immediately ran to its water bottle to drink.

Anna met Vandal's eyes and smiled. He searched for something to say that didn't involve him asking her to do that again but with less desire to _end_ suffering. It was interesting to see her work, but he had expected to see more pleasure in her than the calm contentment he was seeing now.

"It works exactly as you thought it would," he said. No matter how disappointed part of him was, he _was_ impressed. How could he not be?

"Thank you," Anna said smugly. "At least I _presume_ you meant that as a compliment."

"You can take it however you want it, princess," Vandal said, glancing over the many mice in various stages of suffering. "What are you doing with these if you know your vitae works?" he asked.

"Experimenting with different doses," she answered. "I want to know exactly how much vitae has what effect."

"You're testing that _now_?" he chuckled. "Does that make me your first test subject?" He was not as bothered by that as he could have been.

"Well, you were so eager," Anna grinned. "But no. Of course I tried the dose on mice first. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally give you an overdose."

"Is that even possible?" he asked.

"That's what experiments are for," Anna said. "I need to see how little vitae still has a desirable effect and how much vitae is too much. Either because it is unnecessary or because it is dangerous. Normally I'd just pump a few mice full of an extra high dose and see what it does, but this stuff is still in short supply and too valuable to waste."

Vandal hummed thoughtfully. He had been thinking of other ways to get Anna her vampire blood. Not that he didn't enjoy using Therese without her knowledge, but it was a slow process. It made him impatient. Short of kidnapping a vampire and strapping them to one of his chairs he couldn't think of another way to get his hands on their blood though, and that was just too damn dangerous. Especially right under Therese's nose.

"So far," Anna said. "I have found out that small doses actually do quite a lot. And the vitae is not hard to dilute either, it's pretty forgiving stuff. Very easy to handle."

"How ironic," Vandal smirked and she laughed.

She took off her bloody glove and changed it for a clean one. Vandal stared at the collection of scurrying little bodies.

"What do you do with them after you are done?" he asked.

"Gas them," Anna replied.

"That's a shame," he said. Scientists, never knew how to have any proper fun.

"Hm? Are you such an animal lover?" she asked mockingly.

"Oh yeah…" he grinned at her. "I was great friends with the rats back at home…" He sighed. "What a waste of a death, using something as dull as gas."

"Hardly anything to waste in an animal's death," Anna said amusedly. "They aren't aware."

"They feel pain," Vandal said, glancing at the cages.

"Sure they do," Anna said, with a dismissive shake of her head. "But they have no concept of either life or death, only instinct. What good is wielding death over something that doesn't realize you control its life?"

 _There_. There it was. Glistening sharply in her eyes, taking possession of the curve of her mouth. It was dark, it was cruel and it was _dying_ to get its hands on the world. Vandal slanted his head and watched Anna with fascinated astonishment. _How_ , he thought, _how_ did she manage to pass for mundane and normal in the eyes of the world?

"I'll move on to diseases soon," Anna said, the darkness sinking into her again. "Blood-borne infections first I think."

Vandal watched her return to her calm and clinical self with a dull ache in his heart. He could not understand how she could just turn off that vibrant, _brilliant_ side of her in favour of sweet little smiles and sensible calmness. And for what? To fit in with the sheep? With the _mice_? He knew the price of living. He knew the importance of hiding. But why should she hide it now? She couldn't _want_ to be normal, surely? Anna knew her own superiority, it was the first thing that started to show when she was caught al little off guard. She looked down on absolutely everyone. Vandal thought of the look on her face when she had talked to him of her work, things that truly mattered to her… Would she do that if she also looked down on him?

...

Anna bit her lip and stared at her notes without seeing them. Vandal was making her question herself. Around him she did things she didn't mean to do. Not things she didn't _want_ to do, mind, but things she didn't _mean_ to do nonetheless. At least, not when someone was around to see her do it… But it was more _fun_ if he was around to see her do it. She snarled at herself. Wants were all very well, but she needed to get her priorities straight. She was close to proving all her theories. She couldn't allow herself to get distracted now. It was cute that Vandal wanted to know about her research, see her work, but it was a distraction. Involuntarily her memory called forth the look of fascinated respect that had been on Vandal's face when he watched her inject the mice. People looked at her like that all the time, but not like that. Not with so much understanding, not with so much…justification. How could they? Nobody knew what she was really capable of. But even if they would know, they wouldn't understand. They wouldn't appreciate it. Vandal did. Anna caught herself smiling and hissed internally.

What was the matter with her? She was losing control of her situation. That suspicion had been dawning on her for a while now. Vandal was different now he was free from Therese. She never heard him mutter to himself anymore. His eyes rarely glazed over now and in everything he said and did there was something more…deliberate now. Anna liked it, but she knew she shouldn't trust it. He was more in control, which meant that she wasn't. She could no longer direct him as easily as before, her influence over him was sinking. Or…was that true? He wasn't drawing away from her. Quite the contrary. Vandal seemed to want _more_ from her now than he had done before. She was no longer the one constantly carrying the conversation. No longer the one always instigating the contact… And she was so _bored_ without him. She sighed. It was such a damn waste. A guy like that in a place like this. Reluctantly she turned her attention to her notes again, but the frown that had crept onto her face stayed with her for the rest of the evening.

...

The more he tried to find out about the side of Anna he found most attractive, the more puzzled Vandal was by the way she behaved. He could not understand how a contempt like hers could so easily be hidden away. She was so universally _liked_. How the fuck did she do it? Just the thought of playing the kind of games Anna played to fool everyone around her made Vandal feel like he would lose his mind. All those damn people expecting something from you. Attention, help, sympathy, friendliness, patience. He'd kill himself before he reduced himself to that. Except Anna was not like him. Not really. Perhaps in some ways she was, but she still _liked_ people. Or if she didn't she at least wanted to be among them. Yes, Anna enjoyed being among people. Vandal didn't understand why, but she did.

"I want to go out," she said one evening at the clinic.

"Go out where," Vandal grunted.

"Any place will do," Anna said. "I just need a night _out_. I've been to the Confession a couple of times now, it's getting old. There's a bar a couple of streets over called The Last Round, I-"

Vandal snarled at her. "You keep away from there. That's a bloodsuckers' den."

" _Everything_ here is full of the parasites," Anna spat. "I'm sick of it. If I want to go there, I will."

Vandal grabbed her by the arm and yanked her towards him. "The Last Round is the Anarch headquarters," he said warningly. "The only mortals you'll find there are ghouls and blood dolls."

"Anarchs?" Anna said, shaking her head in irritation.

"You're _kidding_ me," Vandal snapped. How did she not know about this? "Never mind," he growled. "All you need to know is to stay away from there if you want to keep that pretty little head of yours."

Anna gave him a resentful look and pulled her arm free. Now she was pissed at him. For fuck's sake.

He forced a smile. "Alright, princess, sit down," he said. "I'll give you a lesson in the local politics."

For a moment it looked like she was just going to leave, but then she sat down. Her curiosity was usually stronger than her other emotions.

"You know about the Camarilla, right?" Vandal said.

"Their pretend government," Anna said sourly.

"More like a political sect," Vandal grinned. "But that's exactly what the Anarchs think of them."

"They are anti-establishment?" she said, with equal distaste.

"Hm, and they used to call the shots here. LA's supposed to be the Anarch Free State. Not a pretty sight when the Camarilla first moved in, oh no…"

"I thought there were only two flavours of parasite," Anna said, still in a bad mood. "The Camarilla and the Sabbat."

Vandal shook his head. "The Sabbat aren't normal bloodsuckers," he said. "The Camarilla and the Anarchs both kill them if they have the chance. But we weren't talking about them. The Last Round is where the Anarch leaders of LA hang out to do their hero of the people act."

"So the Camarilla believes in leadership by elders and the Anarchs want, what? A democracy?" Anna said mockingly.

"Something like that," Vandal grinned. "But they mostly want to rip each other's throats out."

Anna sniffed. "And who does the Queen Bitch belong to?" she asked.

"Camarilla, of course," he replied. "But she'll work with anyone to get what she wants." He smirked. "Remind you of anyone?"

Anna refused to answer that.

Vandal grinned. "Her sister sided with the Anarchs," he said.

"Jeanette, right?" Anna said.

"Hm," he grunted.

"What happened to her?" Anna asked. " _Some_ people seem to really miss her."

"Nobody knows except the Bitch herself," he replied. "They couldn't stand each other…"

"What was she like?" Anna asked, suddenly interested.

"Jeanette?" Vandal said, a little suspicious of where this was going. " _Not_ like the Queen Bitch. More like the Whore Priestess."

Anna was searching his face for some sort of emotion and he did not feel like showing any, so he changed the subject.

"The reason you need to stay away from the Last Round is because it's the hole where Nines Rodriguez and Smiling Jack like to bury themselves. Stay _away_ from them. _Especially_ Jack."

"Why?" Anna asked challengingly.

"You're _human_ ," Vandal snapped exasperatingly. "Most of the idiots that come to my window are lowlifes, nobodies. You can hear them slithering as they come and go. You have never even looked the Bitch in her face, have you? Do you have any idea what a _real_ vampire can do to you?"

"I'm looking at it," Anna replied snidely.

He repressed the stab of anger he felt and leaned towards her. "If you'd like to find out what it's like to be drained of your blood and free will that can be arranged," he hissed.

Anna stared back at him coldly, refusing to shrink back or even look scared, but he could hear her heartbeat quickening.

"You really think I would risk my life?" she bit back at him. "All the work I've done? I have no desire to end up like those girls at the clinic or _Beth_." She spoke the name of her friend like it was a curse. "But every damn club in LA is either being run by or full of the filth. What makes these two so special you have to warn me about them and get your threatening ghoul act _all up in my face_."

Vandal sat back. She was damn lucky it was only an act. With how stupid she was behaving she deserved a proper warning. A _proper_ grip around the throat. Something withheld him, however, and Anna was still looking at him, waiting for an answer.

He shifted uncomfortably. Nines was just a confrontational show off. Dangerous because of his street smarts, but not too interested in anyone that wasn't a threat to him. Jack was a different story. He unnerved Vandal, and that was saying something. The Brujah was always laughing at something and Vandal always got the feeling the joke was at the expense of the entire world.

"Nines is the leader of the Anarchs," Vandal said finally. "Even the Queen Bitch doesn't fuck with him. Hell, even her sister didn't try _to_ fuck him."

Anna's mouth twitched.

"And Jack…" Vandal fixed his eyes on her. What could he say that would persuade Anna to stay away from him? Nobody ever talked about Jack. Not like he was someone important anyway. He hadn't heard Therese mention him even once. But the few time he had come to the blood bank Vandal had _known_ he was dangerous. It had been one of the few things all his voices had agreed on.

"Alright, I get it," Anna said suddenly. "No going to the Last Round."

Vandal blinked confusedly and looked at her. He had zoned out for a second and whatever Anna had been able to read on his face, it had been enough to scare her. She certainly looked unsettled, but now he had pulled himself together she soon regained her composure and even pretended to go back to her former annoyed state.

"Well," she sighed. "I guess that means I'll go to the Confession again." She got to her feet and gave him a meaningful look. "You know, I might not be so bored with it if I had some company…"

"No," he said blankly.

"Fine," Anna said, rolling her eyes.

She left without kisses or squeezes and Vandal watched her leave with dissatisfied feelings he had no intention of sorting out. Not for the first time he wondered how long they'd be able to last. How long they could carry on like this. How long until one of them slipped up and this whole thing came crashing down… Somehow he felt like he had at least bought them some time just now. Time for what? He didn't know what to answer to that question. Time during which they were not _dead_ , he decided. Time during which Anna was not walking to her death because she was bored and stubborn. He couldn't let that happen. Vandal looked up and suddenly caught his own expression in the glass of the window. He looked _concerned_. Not vexed, or anxious or even nervous. No, that was concern on his face. Genuine, fucking concern.

...

It was funny, really. She ought to laugh at it. He actually thought he could tell her where to go and where to stay away. Anna hesitated. He had been _worried_ about her. Had he? Or had he just been worried she'd be stupid enough to lead the parasites to his door? She scoffed contemptuously, but a moment later she was laughing again. _Men_. At some point they all either got anxious or controlling. The anxious ones were convenient, so easy to play it was laughable. The controlling ones were more interesting, but hardly more of a challenge. A giggle escaped her throat. She _should_ make Vandal come with her on her next outing. He would hate that and it would serve him right for trying to threaten her. And then she'd make him enjoy it and he would hate _that_ even more.

No. Anna cut her own thoughts short and her smile melted away instantly. _No_. She shouldn't waste time pressing Vandal's buttons. It didn't matter. It was all background noise. This whole fucking town was full of it. She needed to keep her focus. Finish her research. Make use of Vandal while she could. Build up a supply of vitae and then leave. Find a place where the parasites didn't control half of the local businesses. A place where the hunters and occult scholars were more organized. A place with a less stupid climate. …a place without him? Anna threw her head back scornfully, but she couldn't help the dissatisfied pout in her lips. What she needed to do was focus on work. She would start experimenting on human patients tomorrow. Yes, she had enough data to be _almost_ certain it would work. That's what she needed, some solid, tangible success. Something just for her.

...

Vandal heard running steps coming down the hallway. He had just enough time to realize it was Anna before the door flew open and she rushed in, looking positively elated. She was in _raptures_.

"I gave the vitae to a patient in trauma recovery, Vandal!" she cried, before he could say a word. "And it _worked_ and there were _no_ side effects."

He looked at her without giving a response. She didn't need one. He couldn't help grinning though. Raw, unadulterated happiness was radiating off her. He could actually _feel_ it.

"I gave her the vitae instead of her dose of morphine," she said excitedly. "There had been _so_ many complications during her operation. Her body should have given out days ago. But after I gave her the vitae she got _better_. I monitored her closely and she has been off all medications for a while now and there are _no_ withdrawal symptoms or cravings. Nothing!" She beamed at him. "Vandal do you realize what this _means?_ " she said. "It means it's _our_ turn. Now we can bleed the monsters for their life force instead of them bleeding _us_."

Her eyes were sparkling and her face was flushed. There was something manic in her voice that Vandal liked above everything else. He had never seen her like this, all rash, impulsive enthusiasm.

"Give me a vampire," Anna declared triumphantly. "And I'll bleed them dry and cure cancer."

She was laughing out loud now and Vandal chuckled darkly. "That sounds oddly murderous for a doctor," he remarked, grinning.

"I'm not a doctor," Anna said boldly. "I'm a scientist and I stand by my statement."

Vandal looked at her mouth, curved into a smile full of grim determination and delight and suddenly he stepped towards her and kissed her. She struggled against him in her surprise. He tipped her head back and leaned her against the counter, kissing her forcefully. She moaned into the kiss and he held her a little closer. When he let go she gasped for air. He stepped away from her, enjoying her flustered expression.

"What was that for?" she said, slightly out of breath.

"For your triumph," Vandal replied, standing back with a grin. She looked so damn happy.

She laughed. Her spirits only seemed to be rising. She started talking about kidney disease and blood transfusions and making history and he listened with growing amusement until she stopped and made an incoherent noise. It seemed words weren't good enough for her delight and excitement.

"Haven't you got anything to say?" she grinned widely. "Vandal, you helped me change _everything_. It's going to be _glorious_!"

Vandal grabbed her, pulled her against him and kissed her again. She kissed back with a muffled, approving giggle and Vandal kissed her harder. God, she felt nearly electric. He tried to lift her onto the counter, but Anna resisted. He let go, slightly annoyed.

"I thought we were celebrating?" he said.

"I'm sorry," she laughed. "But I'm not having sex with a co-worker in his office."

"Oh…" he grinned darkly. "Worried about professionalism are we?" He really wanted her now and he wasn't going to stop. Her happiness was intoxicating. He pulled her towards him again and pressed a kiss in her neck. "Like the nurses and doctors don't go at it like wild animals in between shifts," he mumbled in her ear.

"Of course they do," Anna said, gently pushing him away again. "But I don't."

"Why not," he said, leering at her.

"Because I don't," she repeated.

He gave her a frustrated look. Why the fuck did she have to be difficult _now_.

"What?" Anna said. "Are you going to make me, big bad ghoul?"

He snarled. "No," he said. "Contrary to popular belief I don't force myself on women." He knew he had a rap sheet and knowing Anna she had probably managed to get her hands on the police report. That girl three years ago had been a mistake, she hadn't been as stupid as she looked. It was his own fault really, for going after a local, but she had smelled so sweet…

"I didn't think you would," Anna said with a smile. "Not with _me_ anyway…"

He gave her a long stare. "Why do you sleep with me, but no one else in the hospital?" he asked suddenly. He thought he knew, but he wanted her to admit it. That it was not just because of convenience or some shallow attraction, but because she _knew_ that she was just as fucked up as he was.

"What kind of question is that," Anna said, frowning slightly.

"The kind I want answered," Vandal said. He had seen something flicker in her eyes, for just a second. It looked at awful lot like…guilt.

She pursed her lips, searching for an answer to fob him off with.

"You know what you want and you take it," he said. "I can respect that. But why do you want this from _me_?" _Just say it_ , he thought. Tell me about the darkness. About the _longing_. She came to him to ramble about her work because she knew he'd understand. Because he'd _appreciate_ it. Like she appreciated _his_ work.

"Maybe I just like to mix business with pleasure," Anna said evasively. She tried for a winning smile. "It's certainly in my interest to keep you on my good side."

"You don't have to fuck me to get your vampire blood," he said flatly. "I'll give it to you regardless." That was true, it stung, but it was. There was no way he was going back to drinking Therese's disgusting blood. He needed Anna's vitae. "And even if I wouldn't, there's no need for all these cosy late night _chats_ …"

"I know," she agreed.

"But?" he said. He was not going to give this up. He was _certain_ it was not just him needing her. No, she wouldn't spend quite so much time with him, wouldn't let him get away with so much if she didn't _need_ something from him in return.

"But you _interest_ me Vandal," Anna said with a sigh. She threw up her hands. "You're the only interesting thing _in_ this damn place. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to find someone I want to screw _and_ talk to afterwards? I spend time with you because I _want_ to and because I would have gone fucking _insane_ by now if I didn't." She took a deep breath and gave him the disgruntled look she always gave him when he managed to make her say more than she meant to. "There," she said. "Happy?"

No, not by far, but it was enough for now. "Come home with me," he said.

"What, now?" Anna said, taken by surprise. "Aren't you in the middle of your shift?"

"Fuck this place," he said. "The hospital supply is stocked up and no one ever comes to the window but filthy bloodsuckers. They can starve for a night."

Anna gave him a strange look and then she laughed. "Okay," she said, her irritation suddenly dissolving into playfulness again. "Does that mean we get to celebrate properly after all?"

"In any way you want," he promised darkly.

...

 _Screw it_. She'd be stuck in Santa Monica for months to come and she _refused_ to stay away from the only person that made this place bearable.

...

* * *

 **A/N** : Finally a proper mention for the Anarchs! Forgive me Damsel for leaving your badassery out of this story, but Vandal still tends to underestimate women (go figure).

Now, if you are a person with a very visual imagination, do not feel obligated in any way to look at this, but I've been looking around and if Secrets in the Blood was a movie I know which actors I'd cast to play Vandal and Anna. If you want to see, or want to talk to me outside of FF, check out my tumblr: mysunfreckle :)

I hope this chapter was censored well enough. Please join me again in the next chapter of the main story!


	2. Censored Chapter 19

**Censored Chapter 19: Patience is a Virtue**

...

 **Content warnings** : Still very graphic violence, still torture, but just a little less explicit.

...

* * *

Vandal was rather surprised when Knox was still unconscious when he returned early the following evening to work on restraining him more securely. For a while he even wondered if he had perhaps choked him for too long. So far Anna had said nothing about the vitae's effectiveness in treating brain damage and this was not really the time to find out if it had any. All he needed to do _now_ was convince Anna that the vitae was capable of creating flawless, _living_ immortality. It sounded preposterous, even to him, but Vandal could _feel_ the truth of it coursing through his veins. Well, why shouldn't it be true? Why _shouldn't_ it be possible? If vampire blood held the key to immortality in death, why shouldn't it also hold the secret to immortality in life.

When Vandal began tightening the ropes he had brought around Knox's arms he came to. Only now did it occur to Vandal that he might not have been unconscious the entire time. He had probably awoken during the day and simply passed out from exhaustion after hours of uselessly struggling to break free. He chuckled softly and Knox opened his eyes, staring at him wildly.

"Hello, Knox," Vandal smirked. "Lovely evening, don't you think?"

Knox didn't make a sound, he didn't struggle either. His eyes were the only thing that moved, darting frantically through the room.

"No, Anna isn't here," Vandal chuckled.

Knox's eyes fixed on his intently and Vandal smirked.

"What? You think I hurt her? Perhaps as punishment for bringing _you_ here?" he asked mockingly.

Knox didn't avert his eyes. He didn't look scared, he looked like an animal biding its time to attack. What a _pity_ that time would never come.

"Are you _worried_ about her?" Vandal whispered sharply. "Because I don't think you are… I don't think you care about anyone except yourself right now. Well, my _sweetling_ will be joining us shortly. By all means, ask her for help." He laughed and this time the first flicker of fear sparked in Knox's eyes.

Vandal finished tying him up without Knox trying to fight or even speak. Rather disappointing actually, but Vandal was sure there would be some entertainment as soon as Anna joined them.

Sure enough, when the hidden door opened and Anna came in Knox immediately raised his head to look at her. For a moment hope flashed in his eyes and Vandal _relished_ it. It didn't take Knox more than a moment, however, to see the complete change in Anna's demeanour. He shrank back and Vandal laughed. Anna was wearing a buttoned up lab coat and was carrying not only her medical supplies, but also her notebook and audio recorder. With her hair pulled back and a face graced with a confident smile, she couldn't be further from the silly girl she played last night.

"That looks a lot better," she said approvingly, nodding in Knox's direction.

"I'm glad the lady is satisfied," Vandal grinned. "You got everything we need?"

"Everything _I_ need, certainly," Anna said cheerfully. "I didn't bring any toys for _you_. Surely you brought your own?"

"Naturally," Vandal replied darkly and he saw the fear increasing on Knox's face.

His eyes were following Anna suspiciously through the room as she walked to a convenient counter to lay out her things. Vandal watched with great enjoyment how she placed a vial of vitae, two other drug bottles, four syringes, her notebook, a box of gloves, some disinfectant and her recorder neatly side by side. She was…remarkable. There was nothing in her calm, cheerful, professional exterior that could betray what she was about to do. If someone took her out of this bloodstained backroom and placed her in a bright, clean sickroom with a peacefully sleeping patient, she would not look out of place at all.

"So…" Anna said calmly and she pressed the button on her recorder. "Mr. Knox Harrington."

Vandal grimaced. She was going to take notes and everything. Well, everything for scientific integrity, right?

Knox stared at Anna with alarm and disbelief. She smiled sweetly at him and began to put on her latex gloves. "And how are we feeling today?" she asked in a macabre parody of the doctor she had never wanted to be.

Vandal laughed and she shot him a brilliant smile. He retreated into a corner, leaning against a cabinet. This was Anna's show. His turn would come later. He might wish that she would let go of that endless restraint of hers and gave in to her pleasure a little more, but he could tell she was enjoying this and he would not interfere. He would let her do this her way.

"Well," she said brightly after making a few notes. "Let's get started."

She grabbed the disinfectant, but when she walked towards Knox he began fighting against the ropes that held him and screamed at her. Anna actually rolled her eyes and grabbed Knox by the hair to clean his neck. The words of his threats blurred together behind the fabric in his mouth, but Vandal could hear the frantic anger that was meant to cover up the fear. Knox was scared, but he wasn't quite terrified yet, he still thought he could fight. When Anna carefully filled the first syringe with vitae and came towards him again, he tried to kick his legs free and threw his head wildly from side to side. He did _not_ want to let her near his face with that syringe. Anna grabbed his hair again and yanked Knox's head to the side. Vandal felt his grin widen involuntarily and the angry hiss Anna let out when Knox managed to pull his head free from her grasp, sent a pleasant shiver down his spine. She was _made_ for cruelty. In time he would make her see how much she truly enjoyed this. He would teach her to give in to that glittering darkness once and for all.

"Lie _still_ ," Anna snapped and she held up the syringe. "Do you want me to break this needle off in your neck?"

She sounded genuinely annoyed, Vandal thought. He nearly let a sigh escape his lips. What a pity she didn't appreciate fear.

Knox swore at Anna through the gag and thrashed even more.

"Vandal?" she said, staring down on Knox coldly. "Would you mind?"

"My pleasure…" he grinned and he walked over and grabbed Knox's head. He jerked and struggled, but Vandal merely laughed, bent his head to the side to expose his neck and held it firmly in place.

"Thank you," Anna hummed pleasantly and she brought the syringe to Knox's neck. "Now, this is either going to make you feel amazing," she said cheerfully. "Or it's going to kill you. Let's find out."

Knox's muffled screams lasted long enough for Anna to fill the second syringe. Vandal patiently held Knox's head in place and chuckled at Anna's stubbornness in sticking to medical protocol. She refused to use the same syringe twice. As she gave Knox the second injection, his screams began to sound more like groans. These were noises of pain, no longer those of anger and fear.

"This should be interesting," Vandal grinned and he stepped back to watch. He remembered the searing heat that had paralysed him for a moment when he had injected himself and it seemed like Knox was experiencing something similar. Only _much_ worse. His eyes had opened wide, but they were darting around wildly and uncontrolled. Spasms were pulling through his arms and legs, making him jerk strangely in his bonds.

Anna was scribbling notes hastily, but abruptly put her notebook down when Knox began to make a gagging sound. She quickly untied the gag and held up Knox's head to allow him to breathe more easily. Her skilful movements were almost gentle, _almost_ concerned. But not quite.

"He's overheating," Anna said. "And his heart is going _crazy_."

Vandal made no reply, he was watching Knox struggle for breath. He looked like he might actually die. He had _dreamed_ of watching this blabbermouth die. Anna had meanwhile grabbed a clean syringe and a bottle of medicine and was carefully measuring a dose. Vandal stepped forward to hold Knox's head again, that was rolling involuntarily from side to side now, but Anna inserted the needle into his upper arm instead.

"Veins are veins," she shrugged, when he raised an eyebrow at her. "And we're not in a hurry."

"Then why bother with an injection in the neck?" Vandal grunted. Come to think of it, she had never given him an injection anywhere but in his arm. Or had she?

Anna glanced at him and their eyes met for a second before she turned back to Knox.

Vandal grinned widely. It was because she _preferred it_. So she had some irrational inclinations of her own after all. "What did you just give him?" he asked, covering up the amusement in his voice.

"A vasodilator," Anna said, feeling Knox's neck. "Your temperature rose too, but not _this_ dramatically. This might help his body get rid of the heat…and if his heart rate goes down a bit that wouldn't be bad either."

Vandal hummed thoughtfully. So she had been prepared for this. Anna _really_ wanted Knox to survive. He supposed he should too. If he died Anna would probably start mistrusting her research on the vitae completely and he couldn't have that. It seemed like Knox was breathing more regularly now. He was not quite unconscious, but certainly not responsive.

"You were like that," Anna said nodding sharply in Knox's direction. "I didn't know what the hell to do with you."

Vandal grimaced. "I remember you screaming that at me for ten minutes straight after I came to, yeah," he sneered.

She shot him a dirty look and didn't answer.

"How long did it last?" he asked after a moment's silence. He didn't remember anything except the intense heat of his body and the coolness of Anna's hands.

"Quarter of an hour, twenty minutes?" she replied doubtfully.

A remarkably intense spasm went through Knox's body and he groaned painfully.

"This is much worse than with you though," Anna observed. "It must be the stronger presence of parasite blood."

She went back to taking notes and Vandal heaved an impatient sigh. This was going too slowly. Did they really have to just wait around for something to happen? That could take hours.

Anna smirked and threw him a taunting glance. "Patience is a virtue, you know," she said.

"Exactly," he growled. "I want nothing to do with it."

She laughed and gestured to the door. "Go on then," she said. "I'll stay here to look after our patient."

Vandal hesitated. If the vitae worked Knox would be as strong as he was by the time he regained consciousness again and although he was securely retrained, leaving Anna alone with him still didn't sit quite right with him. If the vitae _didn't_ work and the idiot actually died, he really didn't want to miss that either. But sitting here doing nothing was driving him mad. Moreover, the blood bank had been unattended for a while now…

"Fine," he said. "Promise not to do anything fun without me."

"I'll have my fun now, you'll have yours later," she winked.

He laughed and Anna blew him a kiss. Vandal grinned to himself as he left. It didn't matter if Knox died. It didn't matter if the vitae worked like he wanted it to or not. Anna had helped him kidnap someone he hated and had stood over him with the tools of her trade, mocking her medical profession with everything she did. The vague images he had had of her before in connection with her stories about experiments on the hunters' prisoners now solidified into a delicious reality. A reality that was better than what he had imagined. Because it turned out there really was no difference between the Anna standing over a patient she wished to save and a victim she planned to kill. Her voice, her smiles, her delicate movements, they were all the same. 'It's all the same thing,' she had told him long ago, before he had had any idea of what she was capable of. And she was right. It was all the same. _They_ were the same. He would not need to _convince_ Anna of anything. All she needed was a little more encouragement.

.

It was nearly an hour before Vandal felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He grabbed it immediately.

*He's stable and sleeping. Wanna come wake him up?*

Vandal grinned widely and texted back: *YES*

There had been a couple customers at the blood bank and some of them had remarked on his absence earlier, but he didn't care. As far as Therese was concerned he was busy looking for an assistant already. If Anna thought the vitae had done its work that meant having to test how well it worked and _that_ meant it was finally _his_ turn. His phone buzzed again.

*Bring me back a coffee? x*

With a snicker Vandal texted back: *Are you sure that's according to protocol?*

*It is according to mine,* she replied

Vandal smiled. *Just a little vitae, princess,* he sent. *And you'll never feel tired again.*

There was a short pause before the reply came: *Two sugars.*

Snorting he put the phone back in his pocket, locked the blood bank and went to fetch Anna her coffee. When he entered the backroom Anna was unpacking more equipment from her bag. Knox hung limply in the chair, asleep, but with a cramped expression on his face.

"Mmm, thank you," Anna hummed, taking the coffee he silently offered her.

He glanced at the things she had been laying out. "You want to take blood samples?" he asked, nodding at the tubes.

"Yes," she answered, taking a long sip of coffee. "And _then_ you can take over."

Vandal grinned, walked over to the chair and smacked Knox in his face. His head jerked up and his eyes flew open.

"Welcome back," Anna said cheerfully. "How do you feel?"

"Fuck you!" Knox spat.

"No need to be rude," Vandal smiled viciously.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Knox yelled, struggling against the ropes. They creaked dangerously, but held. Knox's eyes widened in shock.

"Look, he feels it too," Vandal grinned at Anna.

"Well, you certainly _look_ better, Mr. Harrington," Anna said in her sing-song voice. "Let's take some of your blood to see if I can find out why."

"Get away from me, you bitch!" Knox howled.

Anna's eyes narrowed and Vandal grabbed him by the throat. He squeezed hard enough to make Knox gag and Anna calmly inserted a needle in his arm, in one of the exposed spots not covered by the ropes.

"Mind your manners," Vandal growled. "And hold your halfwit tongue for once."

Knox's eyes were wide with fear now, but anger was still fighting to gain the upper hand. Vandal didn't release the pressure on his neck and Knox held still to be able to continue breathing, but Vandal could feel that he _might_ have fought. The vitae had worked. This was not the same Knox, not quite the filthy Nosferatu ghoul he used to be.

"There we go," Anna said, putting the third tube of blood away. "That should be enough. I can always get more."

Vandal let go and Knox sucked in a deep breath. "You're crazy," he panted. "You can't do this! Whatever Therese told you, my master will make you pay for this!"

"Therese?" Anna laughed. "You think we're doing this for _Therese_? And here I thought you weren't as much of a moron as you seemed at first."

Knox looked from Anna to Vandal in utter bewilderment and Vandal finally understood why he hadn't been quite as scared as he should have been. He thought they were acting on Therese's orders and Therese would never risk incurring the wrath of the Nosferatu by killing one of their ghouls. He grinned.

"Therese hates your precious master's guts," he smirked. "She'll be overjoyed to see him lose something." He bared his teeth at Knox. "I guess that'll be my last gift to her, before I finally _kill the Bitch_."

"You're tripping!" Knox gasped. "You're fucking insane!" He was fighting desperately to get free, but he didn't stand a chance. "Bertram will straight up _ice_ you!" he screamed.

"No," Anna said airily. "He'll just replace you and move on. He won't even remember your name."

Pain twisted on Knox face, mingling with the fear. Beautiful as it was, Vandal fixed his eyes on Anna's face instead. She leaned towards Knox, smiling slightly and said in that same, light tone of voice:

"Look at you. We took you and dragged you back here. How many times must you have screamed for help? Your master didn't come for you. He doesn't care."

Knox gulped. "Lying-"

"Can't you feel it?" Anna interrupted him gleefully. "Can't you feel that I've taken him away from you? He's no longer inside you, little ghoul. What I pumped into your veins drove him _out_. You're all alone now…"

Vandal glanced at Knox and saw the terror. _Yes_ , there it was. Freezing him into place as Anna brought her face closer and closer to his. Her eyes glittering with cruelty and pleasure. It was a marvel to behold and she was doing it all with mere words.

"Search your mind, feel your heart. There's _nothing there_ ," Anna whispered. "No master, no guidance. You belong with no one now. Which means you belong to us."

Knox moved. His forehead nearly smacked into Anna's face, she started back just in time. He screamed at her and thrashed so wildly that the ropes cut into his skin. He howled.

"Filthy fucking-" Anna swore. Her eyes snapped fire. " _Gag him_ ," she ordered, having to shout to be heard over Knox's screaming.

Vandal laughed. "Why?" he cried. "Let him scream." He wrapped an arm around Anna's waist and touched her face. "Did he hurt you, princess?"

"No," she said through gritted teeth. She glared at Knox who was screaming his throat raw. "Someone will _hear_ him," she hissed contemptuously.

"They never heard the others," Vandal grinned smugly, but despite this he let go of her and obligingly grabbed the gag. He forced it back into Knox's struggling mouth, muffling his frantic curses. Anna would learn to love the screams, he would give her time. With _her_ he would be patient.

"Would you look at that," Anna said with grim gratification. The rope burns on Knox's arms had disappeared.

"Very promising," Vandal nodded. "Look what my princess did to you," he grinned at Knox. "She's made you so strong not even your own stupidity can hurt you anymore. But she's like that. Always trying to prevent people from hurting themselves… Isn't that funny? How opposites attract…" He walked over to the cabinet in the corner and took out a knife.

Everything went silent. For a moment there was nothing but the cool glint of steel. Knox's muffled screaming. The sound of Anna snapping off her gloves. Their footsteps on the tile floor. Even his own heartbeat and breathing. Everything faded. Everything was still. And then the cold steel touched warm, soft skin and everything came flooding back.

Knox let out a strangled cry, trying to lean away from the knife, and Vandal grinned. He grabbed Knox's shirt and cut it to pieces, ripping the shreds of fabric off him to expose his chest. Anna let out an excited giggle and walked over to the counter where her recorder stood, apparently still rolling.

"Leave it on," Vandal said, still grinning. "I've never had a souvenir before."

Anna bit her lip amusedly and leaned against the counter, waiting for him to begin.

"Now," Vandal said smoothing back his hair with his free hand. "Just so we're clear. Anna here wants to know how strong her formula has made you." He smiled. "And I just _really_ want to hurt you."

Knox screamed when the knife cut him. Vandal retracted the blade and watched how the wound closed and the broken skin restored itself.

"So far so good," he winked at Anna and he stuck the knife in again.

No injury he caused lasted. They all healed almost instantly. Vandal cut until his hands were stained with red. Until Knox's tirelessly regenerating skin was gleaming wet from blood and sweat. Enthralled Vandal inhaled the smell of pain that was now thick around him. Torturing someone that healed instantly was…something else. It was new. It was fascinating. It was _gorgeous_. Knox didn't pass out. He didn't weaken. He just _suffered_. Endlessly. Vandal thought of the weak human bodies he had brought to destruction and laughed out loud. This was so much better. It was beautiful, the knife slicing and the body mending. It was life chasing death in an endless dance.

Something moved beside him and Vandal found Anna standing right next to him. He looked at her and a smile broke the serenity on his face. She was _blushing_. Her eyes were _gleaming_. He cleared his throat and grinned.

"You want to have a go, princess?" he offered. He only just managed to swallow the 'please say yes' that filled his mind.

"I like watching you work," she muttered, licking her bottom lip.

"Then _watch_ , princess," he said hotly and he brought down the knife again.

"He should have succumbed to internal haemorrhage ages ago," Anna said when Knox's screams finally changed to broken sobs.

"Isn't that _fascinating_ ," Vandal smirked indifferently. He changed the knife from one hand to the other and flexed his fingers. How much time had passed? He had been completely lost in the sensations of it all.

Anna seemed no less enamoured by the sight. Her eyes were constantly moving, as if she could not decide whether watching him or the damage he was doing would give her more pleasure.

"Now what, oh _what_ , shall I do next?" Vandal mused out loud, giving her a crooked smile.

"Well…" Anna said, coming to stand a little closer. "It might be useful to know exactly _how_ invincible this stuff has made you."

"Do you have any request?" he coaxed. She might not be ready to wield a knife herself, but he could see the excitement in her eyes.

"Yes," she answered, with an unexpected absence of hesitation. "His fingers."

"What about them?" Vandal asked.

"Chop one off," Anna said. "I want to know if it'll grow back."

Vandal blinked and started laughing. "How could I say no to such a request?" he chuckled. He looked round and gestured to the cabinet in the corner. "Fetch me something a little heavier, will you, princess?"

Anna went to the cabinet with bouncing steps and returned with a meat cleaver. "How's this?" she purred.

"Perfect," Vandal grinned taking it off her and handing her the knife.

She took it willingly and Vandal smiled. All that careful wearing of gloves and now her pretty little hands were covered in blood. He turned back to Knox, who was aware enough of what was about to happen to ball his hands into fists and struggle hard enough to nearly twist his wrists.

Vandal laughed sharply and forced his hand open before he brought down the cleaver. Anna leaned forward eagerly, ignoring Knox's agony completely.

"Oh…" she said. " _Well_."

The fingers didn't grow back. But the bleeding stopped very rapidly and the skin seemed to do its best to close over the stumps. Knox's scream trailed off into exhausted panting as the wounds closed and the pain lessened.

"What do you make of that, princess?" Vandal asked.

"I think it might have something to do with the fact that you damaged bone this time," Anna said excitedly.

"Only one way to find out," Vandal grinned and he plucked the knife from Anna's hand again.

Exposing and damaging the bones of Knox's arm was not easy. Vandal felt like he was fighting directly against the regenerating powers of the vitae.

"That was a lot harder than I remember damaging bone is," he observed after an at least partialy successful attempt. "Although I must say it's an art that I've never really bothered to perfect."

"No," Anna smiled teasingly. "Bones don't bleed…" She let out a gasp. "That must be it. Bones don't bleed. The vitae must affect them in a lesser degree, or differently at least.. They _are_ fed by blood of course, but they are not drenched in fluids like the soft tissue." She snapped her fingers. "Fluids. Vandal, I have to take some lymph for analysis, perhaps there is something in the tissue fluid that I cannot find in the blood."

"Get one of your vials and tell me where to cut," Vandal grinned.

"It's not that easy," Anna smiled.

"I'm sure it _can_ be," he urged her. "Don't forget we've got as many tries as we need."

"No," she laughed. "I can't risk a contaminated sample, this needs to be done with a catheter."

"Fine," Vandal grunted. He rolled his eyes when Anna walked to the sink. "Just put your gloves on," he said.

She made an amused sound, but ignored him, scrubbing her hands clean before putting on her gloves again.

"Women," Vandal grimaced at Knox, who stared at him with vapid eyes. His body might be holding up, but his mind was definitely cracking.

"Now, now," Anna cooed. "This'll only take a moment."

Vandal watched as she collected the milky fluid and sealed the tube.

"You done?" he said impatiently.

"Yes, Mr. No Virtue," she laughed and suddenly she pressed a quick kiss on his lips. Vandal leaned into her to lengthen it and when he pulled away he held the knife above Knox chest.

"Pick a spot," he prompted.

"Internal organs," Anna replied immediately, putting the vial way. "I want to know how much damage you can do to _those_ and still have everything heal instantly."

As it turned out, quite a lot. Knox passed out by the time Vandal reached his liver. The blood was well up to Vandal's elbows now and his scrubs were completely splattered. Anna had managed to avoid most of the gore, but she was continuously getting just a little too close to keep completely clean.

"It heals almost faster than you can cut," Anna breathed.

Vandal pulled the knife out and they watched Knox heal before their very eyes.

"Unbelievable," Anna said with a sigh. There was a short, sharp silence and then she said: "Try his lungs and heart."

Of course Vandal complied. Even though he had no doubt they would heal just like the rest of his body did, he wasn't about to deny Anna _anything_ she asked for now. By now she might as well be holding the knife herself, Vandal thought. They were doing this _together_. Still, her interest was…clinical. It was not cold, not indifferent, far from it. There was fire and fascination in her in abundance. But what she was burning for was _knowledge_. Not the art itself. In the end she didn't care whether Knox lived or died and that wasn't right. She should care like he did. You had to _want_ a death. Otherwise it didn't mean anything.

Knox made a soft noise and Vandal glanced up. Anna was leaning on the counter, scribbling notes. She had washed her hands again, but there were still faint traces of blood on her fingers. Vandal looked at Knox's face, wet from either tears or sweat. Just as his gaze rested on Knox's closed eyes, they opened. They stared at each other. Wrapped in the smell of blood. Locked together in terror. Deep in Knox's eyes, under Vandal's unwavering gaze, something broke.

Vandal felt his hands move before he really realized it. His left hand cupped Knox's cheek and he leaned into it involuntarily. It was a gentle, caring movement and the knife moved in exactly the same way. Gently, softly, until the point plunged roughly into the side of Knox's neck, just under the base of his skull. There was a sharp snap and the light in his hazel eyes froze in a moment of brightness before extinguishing completely.

Every sound, every smell, every sensation was magnified. Vandal held Knox's head in his hands and felt his life ebb away. He felt his death cling to his fingertips for a moment and tasted how the smell of blood went stale on his tongue. Life was raging through him and he lost himself in the glorious contradiction. He was life. He was death. It was all him.

A sigh sounded behind him and Vandal looked up. Anna was standing with her notebook in her hand. Her pen had fallen on the floor. She was looking at Knox with large, shocked eyes. Vandal let Knox's head fall back against the headrest and pulled the knife out in one swift movement, letting the blood spill out freely. This was dead blood, though. It was not the same. This wound did not heal and it never would.

Vandal swallowed and tried to breathe through the ecstasy swirling in his mind. He hadn't meant to kill Knox yet. It had just happened. He glanced at Anna. Her expression was impossible to read. She was not distressed, but she looked rather…

"What did you do that for?" she asked, sounding almost a little detached.

Because it was time. He couldn't have stopped himself even if he had tried.

"I thought we were going to keep him for a few days? See how long the effects last…"

He _knew_ how long the effects would last.

"Are you even hearing me?"

Yes, but she was saying the wrong things.

"Put your hands behind your back," Anna ordered, walking towards him.

Vandal was still holding the knife. Silently he put it down and obeyed, clasping his bloody hands behind his back, almost without even thinking about it. Anna raised her own hands to his face and pulled him into a kiss. She kissed him slowly and deeply as if she was trying to taste something new in him. Vandal followed her movements, inhaling her scent, letting it mix with that of the coagulating blood. His hands moved and Anna didn't protest when he grabbed her by the waist, smudging her still mostly white coat with rusty red. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. Vandal felt the daze of ecstasy slowly lifting, making room for more coherent thoughts and feelings. Had Anna seen Knox's death? He hoped she had. He should have remembered to make her watch. He should have taken her own little hand and wrapped it around the knife. He should have made her feel it happen.

Anna broke away from the kiss and took in a deep breath. "I'm hungry," she said, exhaling with a pant. "Let's go out for dinner."

"Breakfast," Vandal said, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Whatever," she grinned.

They cleaned the bloodstains off their skin as best they could. Vandal changed his bloody scrubs for his normal clothes while Anna took off her splattered lab coat and fixed the now rather crumpled clothes she had been wearing underneath. As they exited the hospital and walked into the LA morning sun, Vandal grabbed Anna's hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm. With her walking on his arm like that, they made their way to the diner they had gone to when she had just learned about what he did in the backroom. Walking down the street with her like this – in the bright light of morning, while he could still smell the lingering scent of blood on both their skins – made Vandal want to laugh. His grin barely left his face while they had their meal and although he was more than ready to listen to Anna's excited musing about what they had found out tonight, he did not feel like talking. Instead he called back the vivid memories of his own pleasure and of Knox's pain while he ate and studied Anna's face, searching for the traces of cruelty and delight that he knew must be there. He felt he had lost her near the end, but at the beginning… At the beginning she had been so wonderful. He remembered Anna standing by his side, almost leaning against him, watching his hands as he made his knife dance.

Later that day, when Vandal watched Anna drag her nails lightly across his chest in exactly the same pattern he had followed with his knife, he realized exactly how attentively she had watched him work.

"It was beautiful wasn't it," he groaned, lying back blissfully.

"Beautiful…" Anna breathed.

Vandal gazed up at her. His eyes passed over her flushed skin and the tangled mess he had turned her hair into that she would hate him for later. Suddenly he wasn't sure if he had ever seen her naked in the proper dusk of night. He couldn't call forth a single image. She was always lit by muffled daylight or the glaring light of lamps. He'd have to change that soon. Soon.

"When do we kill Therese," he said suddenly. It was not really a question. He knew the answer he wanted. Their time in Santa Monica was running out, they needed to be gone.

Anna shifted on top of him and gave him a gentle look. "The three weeks aren't over yet," she hummed.

"I do not want to wait any longer," Vandal said firmly. "The longer we wait… No. I'm not letting this place trap me now. Tung will come looking for his little bloodhound. Therese will start making new ghouls, I-"

Anna shook her head at him and stretched her hand towards his face, as if she wanted to put a finger on his lips to shush him. Vandal stopped talking. Anna closed her eyes for a moment and muttered:

"Let's not talk about that now…"

She looked at him almost dreamily, but Vandal wanted an answer. "Don't make me wait, Anna," he said urgently.

"Fine, fine," she sighed soothingly. "We'll kill her as soon as she agrees to meet with you. We'll do whatever you want."

'Whatever he wanted.' Did she mean that? He had never heard that tone of voice before… Her fingers started raking across his chest again.

"Tell me what it was like," she hummed. "What was it like to kill him?"

Vandal smiled incredulously. He couldn't _explain_ something like that. There weren't any words good enough to describe it. Even trying would desecrate the sensation. Such a moment couldn't be _shared_. Who would even _want_ to-

Anna's eyes met his and the dreamy expression clung to her like a veil across her eyes. "Please tell me," she begged, her eyes almost closing again.

Vandal swallowed and started talking.

.

She had been around death so much it didn't faze her anymore. Her father had taken her to her first surgery demonstrations with cadavers when she was eleven years old. And she had spent so much time in rooms where death was almost a daily occurrence. She had heard death, smelt it, had been convinced she had seen it. But she only now realized that she hadn't. She had never _actually_ seen it. Not like tonight.

She had been just in time to see Vandal stroke the hair out of Knox's face and gently raise the knife. Just in time to see the strange stillness in Knox's eyes before the life in it shattered. That moment… Anna didn't understand it. She had never cared about death. Death was something that just _happened_ , to those that no longer were worthy of life. It was an insult, a humiliation, not something to be admired. It came when life was a privilege no longer granted. Even her father had been unable – unworthy – to retain his life. She had felt that sitting by this bed while he faded. His body was weak. It betrayed him and lost him his life. She had thought she had felt death that day. No, she had _known_ and she had felt that it was simply the absence of life. But now that suddenly wasn't true anymore. She had seen something. Something _real_ and she was certain that Vandal had actually felt it. _She needed to know_.

But his descriptions and explanations sounded empty. They didn't sound real. Nothing he said made her feel like that moment she had looked into Knox's eyes. Vandal seemed aware of this. He began talking faster and faster and with increasing frustration, until Anna let go of her aching curiosity and pressed her mouth against his to make him stop talking. Vandal grunted and immediately poured his frustration into the kiss. Anna let him grab her and roll them over so he was on top. He broke off the hungry kiss and tried to say something, but Anna immediately shut his mouth with her own again. She didn't want to talk. Words weren't good enough right now. She squirmed underneath Vandal and tried to bite him until he growled at her and pinned her against the mattress. He was too strong now and he hurt her without realizing it, but Anna didn't care. Tomorrow they would have to plan and prepare, but right now she didn't want to think. She only wanted to close her eyes and see that shattering of life and light in her memory. She wanted to relive that glimpse of vibrant death and let the hands that caused it hurt her.

...

* * *

 **A/N** : Goodness gracious, torture scenes are hard to write. It is extremely difficult for me to write something that disgusts me. I keep trying to get away from my own sentences. Sorry Knox… I guess this censored version is not much better but it puts me at ease a little to at least give my readers the choice what to read.

I was also reminded while writing this of how much I _detest_ being kissed while I'm trying to talk. Looks passionate on paper, but it's annoying as all hell in real life.

My friend BookishAngel told me she sees Fire and the Flood by Vance Joy as a good Vandal and Anna song and I completely agree!

Please join me again at the main story!


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